I’ve already ripped off the Perfectly Imperfect newsletter, why not commit some more intellectual property theft and rip off Into the Gloss as well?
CAREER
Right now I’m a full time student studying economics, art studio, and Spanish. I’m also doing a lot of odd things on the side which makes my friend say that I’m majoring in Confusion. I’ve worked at management consulting firms, hedge funds, and private equity firms. I’ve photographed for the professional hockey and soccer teams in my University’s city. I worked with a fashion magazine in Madrid and photographed for the fashion department at a nearby school. I’m also managing editor of my school newspaper, part of the student investment fund, work for the student government, and play for the club lacrosse team. I wear many hats.
SKIN
My face is so acne prone and my skin is so sensitive and so dry and I’ve never found a good dermatologist, which is why I fell in love with Into the Gloss. All I had to do was search “hormonal acne” in the search bar and I got all kinds of ideas for taking care of my skin that kept breaking out.
In the morning my face gets extremely puffy, when I sent a photo to Lennon the other morning she told me that my face looked like a Cheeto Puff. Upsetting, yet accurate. I use a cold jade roller and wash my face with a damp washcloth because I hate splashing water in my face, especially in the mornings. I put Clinique clarifying lotion on my acne and Barbaria Vitamin C over the entirety of my face. This might have to change soon though, because I’ve been told that my face is turning yellow because I eat too many fruits and vegetables, and the added Vitamin C that I put on my face is not helping. I found this brand at a pharmacy in Lisbon when I ran out, and have been buying it online ever since. I have pretty dry skin as well, so I layer on lots of Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.
I try to drink spearmint tea every morning because I read in an article by a dermatologist that “two cups of organic spearmint tea ingested daily reduced inflammatory acne lesions by 25 percent after one month and by 51 percent after three months”.
At night I wash my face with Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream and Worker B Honey Face Wash in the shower accompanied by the clarifying lotion, vitamin-C, moisturizer, and Glossier’s Universal Pro Retinol. I sleep on a silk pillowcase, because my aunt thinks they’re the best thing ever, and apparently they’re good for acne as well.
I’m very particular about what goes on my skin because I’ve had such bad acne breakouts before. The only face mask I will use right now is the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Acne Prone Skin Peel-Off Mask, which is no longer sold so I have to scour through eBay whenever I’m out. I like the peel-off masks the best, because it feels like it’s peeling everything bad and gross out of my pores as I take it off. I use the same Neutrogena Oil Free Pink Grapefruit makeup remover wipes before I shower.
HAIR
I haven’t found a shampoo and conditioner that are absolutely life changing, so I switch it up every time I run out. Right now I’m using the BB Curl Shampoo and Conditioner that I found while loitering around the shelves in Ulta. I also use a Herbal Essences Clarifying Eclaircissant Tea Tree clarifying shampoo from Target because I get a very itchy scalp from working out every day, but don’t want to wash my hair every day.
In the mornings I stick my head underneath the bath faucet in the shower because otherwise my hair is absolutely unbearable in the mornings. It’s thin and curly so when I sleep and move around it just kind of sticks like that. When it’s still wet I do the ritual washcloth scrunch and add DesignMe BounceMe Curl Balm, but it’s not my favorite because it makes my hair crunchy, but I’m waiting for it to be gone before I switch to something else. I use a Remington hair dryer that I bought at Target with a diffuser attachment on it, and then use the other straightener part to blow out my bangs. When I want to straighten my hair, I take out the reliable old Conair straightener that I got for my birthday when I was in the sixth grade, and Odele leave-in conditioner.
MAKEUP
I have a total of one and a half makeup looks, but that’s really all I need when I just go to class and the library every day. I use a combination of Sephora Size Up Mascara and Glossier’s Lash Slick because Sephora’s mascara is too wet and clunky but Glossier’s is too dry and small. I don’t like to get my eyebrows done too much because I like them thick, so I use the Beauty Junkies eyebrow gel to make sure they look presentable. I use a little bit of pink highlighter on my eyes, which I don’t know the name of because I dropped it and broke the container when I was in Madrid and now it resides in a plastic bag and the highlighter has overtaken the container, making it ineligible.
On big dress-up occasions I use the Tarte Ultra Creamy Shape Tape on any major blemishes, but like to refrain from this on the regular since I feel like it clogs up my acne and makes it worse. I use the classic Butter Bronzer, an item I got hooked on after my Madrid roommate, Sevyn, used it on me multiple times to go out.
More often than you might think, I like to use a colorful eyeliner like the NYX Blue Trip Liner Stick or Glossier’s green eyeliner on the underside of my eye. I have blue eyes, so when I’m wearing a dull or boring outfit, I add a bit of color to make it more exciting. When I was traveling around Europe I wore blue eyeliner almost every day, but it’s not as socially acceptable in the Midwest.
BODY/WELLNESS
In the shower I use regular Dove soap (hot girls have sensitive skin) and Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion.
Outside of the shower, I like to workout every day. Not particularly because it’s good for you, more specifically because I go crazy whenever I don’t exert some of my energy. Recently I’ve been really into hip hop, as Blakely and I are taking a free class through our university. Whenever I don’t workout for a long period of time, I see my acne start to break out more than usual, since working out changes your hormones. I also love to run and lift weights and cycle.
I drink a lot of water, probably too much as I’m going to the bathroom constantly. I have a pretty clean diet, as seen by my yellow skin problem from eating too many vegetables. I stopped eating dairy for multiple reasons, including its negative effects on acne.
For fragrance, I use a super special perfume that I got when I was eight years old. I lost it when I was on my way to Paris, but my mom got me a new bottle for Christmas that she bought off eBay. It’s truly terrible perfume, doesn’t even stay on you for more than 20 minutes, but we’ve been through a lot together and I’ve formed this kind of emotional bond to my liquid gold.
– as told to ITG (‘s formal correspondent)
Yours truly,
Calihan
p.s. None of the products linked make me any money, I just have a God complex that somebody might care what I’m doing to my face and hair that nobody has seen.
Little Girl, Big World 
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